MIAMI – Oscar quickly intensified from a tropical storm to an 85 mph hurricane on Saturday, prompting islands in its potential path to issue watches and warnings ahead of the small but powerful cyclone.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Oscar is now expected to potentially trigger hurricane conditions across portions of the southeastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Cuba over the next 36 hours.

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The hurricane, previously named Invest 94L, barely clung to its tropical development prospects Friday. But Oscar found a patch of warm water and atmospheric conditions he liked and quickly developed a well-defined center by Saturday morning.

In addition to the gusty winds, rainfall amounts ranging from 2 to 4 inches (in isolated areas) to 6 inches will fall across the region through Tuesday.

The government of the Bahamas has issued a hurricane warning for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast of the Bahamas. The Cuban government has issued a hurricane warning for the provinces of Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas.

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“The system will move westward near the Dominican Republic and Haiti and then stall near or over the southeastern Bahamas or eastern Cuba,” said FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross. “It is forecast to remain there until Monday, probably as a weak system. Hostile high-altitude winds will intrude and whatever remains will likely be swept north.”

The hurricane is one of the smallest cyclones ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Hurricane-force winds extend outward just 5 miles from the center.

A Hurricane Hunter aircraft also found that the cyclone's eye was just over 5 kilometers wide, making it one of the smallest features since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

Due to Oscar's small size, fluctuations in intensity often occur as the cyclone can exploit dry air bubbles and shear forces.

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Oscar became the second named storm to receive a name on Saturday, following Tropical Storm Nadine, which was christened near Belize early Saturday morning.

TROPICAL STORM NADINE THREATENES VISITING RAIN IN BELIZE, SOUTHERN MEXICO

Could Oscar reach the US?

While the northern Caribbean islands monitor Oscar's progress, the storm continues to pose no threat to the United States.

An extensive ridge of high pressure anchored over the East Coast acts as a protective barrier, with a front at the ridge's boundary providing hostile atmospheric conditions for any tropical systems approaching Florida or the southeast coast.